AC Live presence thread

I love Geologists presence on stage. He seems like a calming presence, a reassuring presence in the chaos that he himself helps create. Avey seems focused on the energy of the atmosphere and his vocal delivery, and experimenting with melodies. His voice is definitely his main instrument. Panda looks focused and means business. Deakin is a naive and at times enthusiastic presence in the band. Like a Zeppo Marx that looks like he might change how he comes across to AC audiences.
WHat do you think??

Yeah, I think those descriptions match up fairly accurately. But when they step out of those molds is when it really gets interesting. I love Panda on sit-down drums. His whole essence changes when he's behind a kit, mefinks. And I think with their live performances to come, Deakin will have a much more prominent role. At least, I hope he does.

can't believe the guy called deeks THE ZEPPO!
oh god?
haha!
and yeah sometimes things can feel too far forced and other times you wish bands would move around MORE / get really into it! ... there's def. a good middle ground balance...
i remember the band trail of dead tried to force "getting crazy" even knocking stuff over / destroying their guitars and i thought "what the heck? they're doing this just to do it... this is really annoying!" and some other bands have been like that too!
i do like how geo gets really groovin sometimes and then when he gets up and spazzes out

The times I've seen them, they didn't interact with the audience much, or seem too aware of the existence of the audience. Which is fine.
Avey spent a lot of time looking like he had cramps.
Panda spent a lot of time making self-entertaining noises.
Geo was all Mister Shadows and Beep Boops.
I like Deakin, I like how he moves with the music. He feels the most natural on stage, at least in video, never having seen him play live. (missed my chance, gah!)

[quote="winilula"]I like Deakin, I like how he moves with the music. He feels the most natural on stage, at least in video, never having seen him play live. (missed my chance, gah!)[/quote]
Totally agree, right down to having narrowly missed a chance to see them (twice! <!-- s>__< --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/mad.gif" alt=">__<" title="mad" /><!-- s>__< --> )

[quote="Dave"] But hey, I don't listen to 'em for their dance moves.[/quote]
Hehe... well said. <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/smile-1.gif" alt=":)" title=":)" /><!-- s:) --> I think I will base my comment on the one concert I have been with AC, and not the utube-videos. Just because being there gives a different impression... I was really impressed by their stage-presence, they seemed so honest about their music. Serious, but also playful. Energetic, but also sensitive. Davey and Panda sang enermously good. Never out of tune. And Avey switched between singing and screaming so fast I had to catch my breath.
Deacon wasn't there, so they were only three. But all of them really were glowing as a group, as a hole. It seemed that they were enjoying themselves, that I caught them on a really good day.
This was the Strawberry Jam-tour, and I'm trying to remember if they were playing anything from MPP. They had just released SJ, and I remember for sure that they were playing a lot from that one. But I had just started to listen to AC, so I didn't know their songs that well.

You can't go on a video to look into whether a band's performance feels contrived or not, especially when most clips on the internet are amateur anyway and the guys are obscured by all sorts of hoo ha. Why does Google chrome want me to capitalise internet? I guess it's a proper noun since there's only one and all, but can't you use it in other ways?

Because it's a smart investment, or something like that.
I'm sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree. I don't think there's anything about the way they look onstage that isn't captured by a video, and a substantial part of the time, some of the band members' actions and movements onstage appear to me rather affected. Frankly, I feel that I get a better idea of what they're really like onstage because most of the videos [i]are[/i] from amateurs.

Dave I'm sure there's no logic to what you're saying. How does it being shot by an amateur give you a better feel for what the band is doing? The amateur filmmaker, I guess you'd call them, doesn't have ANY options when filming. How they "convey" the show is purely dictated by things out of their control and out of the band's control like proximity to the stage, height of the person filming, height of people in front of them, quality of lighting, quality of footage etc.
As for not thinking there's anything about the way they look onstage that isn't captured by a video... just think about what you are saying. There's always something. No way is flesh appearance the same as video appearance. I think you overestimate the picture quality of handycams.

[quote="Dave"]And it makes perfect sense to me that I get a better idea of what the band actually looks like onstage when it's an amateur doing the filming, because, at least when there's a clear view of the stage, there's no jumping around to different band members every few seconds, there's no weird camera angles and pretty pans across the stage, there's no closeups or visual effects. It's just how it looks if you're there, albeit a bit grainier. What about that doesn't make sense?
[/quote]
this is a good point, however, it is far from the same when taken on a shitty camera. take this: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href=""> ... ideo_title</a><!-- m -->. i took that on an ipod touch. it sounded so much better actually being there. same with video quality. it just comes down to preferences: do you want better sound quality and better visuals with people you can accurately make out, but also make it feel less like being in a concert or do you want a sloppy, yet slightly more accurate video? i personally would prefer a high quality video. its just my opinion though and i respect yours

[quote="Dave"]And it makes perfect sense to me that I get a better idea of what the band actually looks like onstage when it's an amateur doing the filming, because, at least when there's a clear view of the stage, there's no jumping around to different band members every few seconds, there's no weird camera angles and pretty pans across the stage, there's no closeups or visual effects. It's just how it looks if you're there, albeit a bit grainier. What about that doesn't make sense?
[/quote]
this is a good point, however, it is far from the same when taken on a shitty camera. take this: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href=""> ... ideo_title</a><!-- m -->. i took that on an ipod touch. it sounded so much better actually being there. same with video quality. it just comes down to preferences: do you want better sound quality and better visuals with people you can accurately make out, but also make it feel less like being in a concert or do you want a sloppy, yet slightly more accurate video? i personally would prefer a high quality video. its just my opinion though and i respect yours

"And it makes perfect sense to me that [b]I get a better idea of what the band actually looks like onstage when it's an amateur doing the filming[/b]" I'm saying amateur vids give a better idea of what it actually looks like standing in the crowd. I'm not saying it sounds better or that it's a more pleasant experience or that I prefer them. You're disagreeing with a point that's not being made.

[quote="SpritBear1"]Yeah, I think those descriptions match up fairly accurately. But when they step out of those molds is when it really gets interesting. I love Panda on sit-down drums. His whole essence changes when he's behind a kit, mefinks. And I think with their live performances to come, Deakin will have a much more prominent role. At least, I hope he does.[/quote]
I agree with this.
And holy fuck, I am watching this:
[youtube]
Yeah. Avey Tare is such a bad ass! I love that he is playing his instruments with more focus instead of just using samplers. And Deakin is doing more which is awesome! I am happy to see this. He is doing LEAD vocals, guitar, percussion and more... I am only 10 minutes into it though <!-- s:surprised: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/surprised.gif" alt=":surprised:" title="surprised" /><!-- s:surprised: --> FUCK YEAH! <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/smile-1.gif" alt=":)" title=":)" /><!-- s:) -->

Holy Fuck is right. This is totally awesome. I've missed seeing them as a four piece. There's just so much more there with all of them present. And I totally agree Vince- Live instruments are a lot more enjoyable to watch than samplers. It also allows them to fully put themselves into the instrument they're playing and just let it all out. Man, I'm lovin this

I'm listening to the boot right now and THEN i'm watching all of this. I am so excited. And I agree, I am so happy they are using INSTRUMENTS again PLUS electronics and samplers. That's how it's done boys.

it wouldn't make for an interesting show that's for sure!
but if they performed amazing new songs then that's what i'd be focused on! idc what their lineup is, just want new songs!
that being said, live instruments are always nice!

they always acted like AC as a collective band could be any combo of 2 to 4 members
but imagine if it was just DEEKS+GEO!
that would never happen!
and there is ALWAYS avey! always!
avey IS animal collective!
panda's like an attached head!

there has always been avey+panda!
idk there needs to be at least 1 MAJOR songwriter (avey, panda) for it to work. i prefer having both because then you get the kind of diversity and balance that makes up the best albums

Dave, if the video is in lower quality than real life then you are missing out on detail. So unless you have a video of AC shot in ultra high definition, possibly 3D as well, where I don't realise it's a video, then you won't convince me that watching a video is visually the same as watching AC live.

one could still argue about it
that on video it may seem contrived but in person it did not
and you just can't tell ... the vibe of the live show!
i mean if i saw some singalong type thing or a band going through an audience in a vid i'd think 'well that's a bit forced!' but maybe if i was there it would have felt just quite right nice!
that's the thing... you just don't know!

You're right, I don't know for sure. I based my judgment on how it looks in videos with bands that I've seen live, and with all of those, the differences between live and taped in regards to what I'm talking about (only how their bodies look when they move around on the stage) are non-existant. I see what I see at the show, and I see what I see in a video. To me, at least, there's no substantial difference in being able to see the way they move on the stage. There are variables that I cannot experience in a video, that's true. Nevertheless, the stuff I'm talking about in the AC happens without regard for the crowd, the venue, the temperature that day, or any other variables. It's in every performance I've seen a video of, in the same stylized and thought-out way, so it can't be any of those exterior variables. That led me to conclude that the movements that seem contrived to me [i]have[/i] to be a reflection of this one person's mentality, since, based on all the videos I've seen, these movements have certain highly controlled consistencies. One may disagree with me, but I'm pretty sure that makes a lot of sense.

There are several Coachella videos up now. Someone at CA recorded the entire set and will upload it later.
Apparently there's been a lot of outrage at AC for not playing any "popular" songs in their set haha...

[quote="MoonDog"]Apparently there's been a lot of outrage at AC for not playing any "popular" songs in their set haha...[/quote]
clearly they were expecting Mumford and Sons
Mumford Collective and Sons
Avey and Sons
Panda and Sons (And Mah Girls)!

[quote="MoonDog"]There are several Coachella videos up now. Someone at CA recorded the entire set and will upload it later.
Apparently there's been a lot of outrage at AC for not playing any "popular" songs in their set haha...[/quote]
I was front and center for AnCo's set on Saturday and it was easily the most enjoyable set for me that weekend (all time?).
The only problem with the set was exactly what you alluded to--the crowd. AnCo was on the Coachella mainstage, preceded by Mumford and Sons and followed by Arcade Fire. This brought out a lot of people that did not know what they were getting themselves into.
I knew AnCo was in for some trouble when I was the only person in my area screaming and clapping when all four members took stage to set up their equipment. To see Deakin back with the gang! Everyone else seemed to think the stage had just been flooded with hapless roadies.
Set opens with an epic audio/visual experience. This probably ended up hurting their mainstream appeal more than anything else--expectations were brought to new highs.
And then there they went--they started digging in to new material, eventually floating into some magical renditions of tunes not present on their last two releases. All in all, the only tunes the general crowd recognized were probably Brothersport and Summertime Clothes.
It was fucking awesome. The statement they were making was so bold, the gusto of their setlist so ballsy--yet, not so much pretentious as simply true-to-self: "You put us on the mainstage in between two of the larger draws of the festival. We'd do good for our image and likely grow our fanbase in numbers if we roll through our last two releases or greatest hits. But we're fucking Animal Collective, and that's not who we are or what we do. This one's for us and for our fans, as every one has always and forever will be." For a band that morphs and evolves its sound as organically and dramatically as the psychedellic visuals at its shows, it is a sign of utmost direction and persistence to see them maintain these core values. It lends me confidence amongst a growing sea of artists that accomplish anything but.
And to extinguish the necessity for any mind alteration: I was completely sober for the entire set--yet had a permanent smile plastered on my face, dancing the entire time. Jesus--that band could teach the Sahara tent a thing or two about beat structure. And just as one new tune would slip into a dream-like transient state, Geologist would drop yet another electronic riff that most other bands would fucking [i]clamor[/i] over like it was his fucking job. Because it is.
Of course, when my group of 12 met up that night, they were all severely disappointed. I think the comment from one friend in particular summed up the mentality of the mainstage crowd that lead to an apparent exodus in droves during AnCo's set: "I'm still upset they didn't play 'My Girls.'" Well, I'm still upset that I'm friends with you.
I literally signed up for these forums because I needed to at least share my experience with other fans. The inability for me to talk with anyone about the set, or at least receive confirmation that I was not the only one dancing for the full hour in pure enjoyment, has been a painful existence.
A